Latch assembly



United States Patent 0.

LATCH ASSEMBLY Edward W. Holritz, Mount Vernon, N. Y., assignor to Westchester Hardware, Inc., Yonkers, N. Y., a corporation Application March 1, 1954, Serial No. 413,051

2 Claims. (Cl. 292-169) This invention relates to latch constructions and, more particularly, to a simplified, rugged spring latch construction in which the manipulating handle is recessed in the latch mounting member so as to be substantially flush with the face of a door or the like on which the latch is mounted.

This invention is an improvement upon the latch construction of my copending patent application Serial No. 389,200, filed October 30, 1953.

Recessed latch constructions as hitherto provided have been characterized by complexity of parts and assembly. These characteristics have not only resulted in relatively high manufacturing costs but also in a tendency to malfunction due to the number of components of the latch and their relatively complicated assembly.

In contrast thereto, the latch construction of the present invention is characterized by a minimum number of component parts assembled in a simplified manner, certain of the parts being permanently united into an integral sub-unit to further reduce the number of separate components.

More particularly, the invention latch construction includes a cup or dish shaped mounting member or casing, preferably substantially rectangular in outline, whose body portion is adapted to be set into a correspondingly shaped opening or aperture in a door or the like. The mounting member has a peripheral, outwardly extending flange by means of which the latch assembly may be spot welded or otherwise secured to the controlled closure.

Another object is to provide a flush type door lock in which a spring-pressed bolt is retained and activated in a guideway by an arm or bracket projecting from the back of the actuating handle and extending into the guideway through an opening or short slot of the bottom wall or base of the pan-shaped body member and into a side slot in the bolt.

The latch bolt, in the form of an elongated solid metal bar one end of which forms a spring abutment, is slidably engaged with the outer surface of the bottom of the dished casing being held thereto and guided by a spring housing and bolt guide which is positioned longitudinally of the bolt, and preferably welded or brazed to the latch casing. The spring housing comprises a flanged box having an open end through which the bolt passes, the inner end of the bolt engaging a coil spring abutting the closed end of the box.

In alignment with the bolt, the base of the casing is formed with a short slot slightly wider than the thickness of the actuating arm. An L-shaped bracket has the short leg welded or brazed to one leaf of a hinge which in turn is brazed or welded to the handle or operating member, the other or long leg passing through the short slot of the base or bottom wall into the side slot of the bolt. The short slot is of a length to stop the inward movement of the bolt while the long leg of the L-shaped bracket has a length to regulate the outward movement of the bolt.

For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention, reference is made to the following de- 2,72 l, I Patented Get, 2 5,, 1955 tailed. description in connection with the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of a latch embodying the invention, the actuating handle being partially broken away;

Fig. 2 is a transversev sectional view. on the line 2. 2 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view on the line 33 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a rear elevational view of the latch with a portion of the spring and bolt housing broken away; and

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the bolt.

Referring to the drawings, the invention latch construction includes a casing or mounting member 10 on which is slidably mounted a bolt assembly generally indi cated at 20 and including a bolt 25, biased toward a latching position by a coil spring 30, the bolt 25 being retracted by a bracket arm 22 which is secured to an operating member or handle 15.

The casing 10 is a drawn metal cup or dish, preferably rectangular in form, having a base 11, side walls 12, end walls 13, and an outturned peripheral rim or flange 14. By means of flange 14, the latch assembly may be spot welded or otherwise secured to a closure having a recess receiving the body of casing 10.

An open ended spring housing 35 comprises a box-like metal member having a base 31, side walls 32, an end wall 33, and outturned flanges 34 which are spot-welded or brazed to base 11 at one end along the longitudinal medial line of casing 10. Housing 35 receives the bolt 25 and the spring 30, the spring 30 having one end engaging the end wall 33 and the other end abutting the flat or inner end of the bolt 25.

The handle 15 is secured to a leaf 16 of a hinge 17 by spot welding, the other leaf 18 of hinge 17 being secured to an end wall 13 of the casing 10 by spot welding or other means. An L-shaped bracket arm 22 has its short leg 23 spot welded to leaf 18 of hinge 17, the longer leg of bracket arm 22 passing through an elongated slot 19 in base 11 to one side of the longitudinal medial line of the casing 10. Slot 19 is slightly wider than the arm 22 which enters notch or cutout 21 in a side of the bolt 25 and serves to retract bolt 25 into the spring housing 35 by manual outward movement of handle 15. The slot 19 is of a length to stop the inward movement of bolt 25 while the right angle blunt end 24 of arm 22 regulates the outward movement of bolt 25 by stopping against the inner surface of the base 31 of the spring housing 35. The free end 20 of handle 15 is bent slightly outwardly to form a finger grip for the handle 15.

Handle 15 lies within the confines of casing 10 and at one end thereof, its width being somewhat less than the spacing of side walls 12, 12, its attached end being almost in line with the end wall 13 providing a substantially flush mounted, recessed relation of the latch assembly to the associated closure.

It will be apparent, from the foregoing description, that the invention latch comprises a minimum of parts, resulting in simplicity of construction and operation and substantially lessening any possibility of derangement of the latch components.

While a specific embodiment of the invention has been shown and described in detail to illustrate the application of the invention principles, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles.

What is claimed is:

1. A latch assembly comprising, in combination, a substantially rectangular disk-shaped mounting member having a base, bounded by end and side walls, and formed with a slot, and a peripheral mounting flange extending outwardly from said walls; an elongated latch bolt slid- 4 ably engaging the outer surface of said base and having 2. A latch assembly as claimed in claim 1 in which a notch in a side surface aligned with said slot; a houssaid bracket arm has a squared end engaging a Wall of ing for said bolt secured to the outer surface of said said bolt housing to limit projection of said bolt.

base; a spring in said housing biasing said bolt to the projected latching position; a hinge including a leaf se- 5 References Cited in the file Of this Pawnt cured to one end Wall of said mounting member; a bracket UNITED STATES PATENTS arm secured to the other leaf of said spring and projecting frornsaid other leaf through said slot into said notch; 5:52 et 3 1 2 2 and a handle secured to said other leaf and lylng sub- 2,649,322 Mack Aug 18, 1953 stantially flush with said peripheral flange when said 10 bolt is projected.

w m-t 

